Reclaim your country after Buhari's retirement - Kukah urges Nigerians

The highly revered Bishop made this call in a powerful message he issued to commemorate the Easter celebration by Christians in Nigeria and across the world.

The outspoken cleric, who is famous for his critical views on national matters, condemned what he described as a deteriorating state of affairs under the leadership of President Buhari.

In the message issued on Sunday, April 9, 2023, the Catholic Bishop highlighted the challenges that have bedevilled Nigerians in the past few years, as well as the rising hate speech against imaginary enemies.

He also lamented the failure of the political class to address the issues bothering Nigerians and their lack of will to provide solutions that would transform the lives of the citizens.

Pulse reports that the present administration is winding down after nearly eight years of mixed fortunes, especially in the area of security which continues to be a major concern for the average Nigerian.

Kukah, therefore, tasked Nigerians to swing into action and restore the country to what it was before the advent of the Buhari government.

However, the Cleric commended the President for having the grace to take in good faith his criticisms of the current administration, which he noted were not born out of malice, but rather a desire to see the country realise its potential.

He also advised the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, that the most concerning and urgent task awaiting him isn't the infrastructure or the usual cheap talk about the dividends of democracy.

Kukah said: “As you (President Buhari) prepare to return to Daura or Kaduna, I do not know if you feel fulfilled or that you met the tall dreams and goals you set for yourself such as: ending banditry, defeating corruption, bringing back our girls, belonging to everybody and belonging to nobody, selling off our presidential fleet and traveling with us etc.

“You may have followed my engagement with you through these Messages over the years. You publicly referred to me during one of our visits as your number one public critic with a huge smile. I commend you for the fact that you have known that none of this was done out of malice but that we want the best for our country. May God guide you in retirement while we all embark on the challenge of reclaiming the country we knew before you came.

“I am hopeful that you (President-elect) will appreciate that the most urgent task facing our nation is not infrastructure or the usual cheap talk about dividends of Democracy. These are important but first, keep us alive because only the living can enjoy infrastructure.

"For now, the most urgent mission is to start a psychological journey of making Nigerians feel whole again, of creating a large tent of opportunity and hope for us all, of expanding the frontiers of our collective freedom, of cutting off the chains of ethnicity and religious bigotry, of helping us recover from the feeling of collective rape by those who imported the men of darkness that destroyed our country, of recovering our country and placing us on the path to our greatness, of exorcising the ghost of nepotism and religious bigotry.”

The respected cleric also reminded the judiciary of the critical role they have to play in shaping the future of Nigeria.

To the Supreme Court, he said: “We are saddened that your sacred temples have been invaded by the political class leaving the toxic fumes that now threaten your reputation as the last hope for all citizens. It is sad that your hard earned reputation is undergoing very severe stress and pressure from those who want justice on their own terms. Nigerians are looking up to you to reclaim their trust in you as the interpreters of the spirit of our laws.

"The future of our country is in your hands. You have only your conscience and your God to answer to when you listen to the claims and counter claims of Nigerian lawyers as you decide the future of our country. We pray that God gives you the wisdom to see what is right and the strength of character and conscience to stand by the truth.”